Lost Slippers
by Melpomene melancholica
Summary: A cinderella story- complete with balls, slippers, wicked stepsisters, prince charmings, and a pretty heroine. Be warned, this is no fairy tail!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Kaitou Saint Tail is not, and never will be, my property. I am only borrowing them for a little fun. Please don't bother suing. I'm sure that I'm practically a continent away from you.

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Lost Slippers

MONDAY MORNING, THE most abominable dreaded time of the week for the uneager student. Meimi was by no means a dedicated scholar and so hated the damp chilly morning she was pushed to greet. Well, she did look forward to seeing Seira and her other friends again but the thought of the teacher's monotonous droning voice babbling about who-knows-what proved too despicable to be cancelled by the good things about school. She had resigned herself to the fact, however, that she had no other choice but to face her responsibilities.

She looked at her watch grimly.

"I'm late," she said bitterly. Overslept she certainly had and on top of that awakened at the wrong side of the bed. She scratched her head angrily then strove to quicken her pace. Running was out of the question. It's just one of those days when most people seem to have gotten into their heads to exercise and not use transportation. Maybe the commuters jamming the sidewalks were as plentiful as any other day, but it seemed a lot more to Meimi since she was rushing.

Apparently, not everyone had Meimi's patience or indifference to having an unexcused tardiness. Ignoring the startled yelps of the people behind her till too late, she soon ended up sprawled on the floor under a heavy panting creature. The busy city-folks spared no time to fuss on her and the crowd merely sidestepped the mangled heap as they went on their way. And so, Meimi was given no privacy to regain her composure or mend her broken dignity, which had snapped during her fall.

"Darn!" she screeched indignantly, pushing hard to get the person off her. "Get off!"

The person wouldn't budge at first, obviously having trouble seizing up the situation. Stonily, it raised itself up with a groan and helped the girl up.

Muttering murderously, Meimi accepted the person's outstretched hand and hoisted herself up. She hastily straightened up, shaking her head in annoyance and was about to take off. She stopped when she finally caught sight of the detestable individual and recognized her "best enemy".

Asuka Jr. saw from the corner of his eyes the position of the hands of time on the clock tower and panicked. He has never been late all his life and he has no plan of ever going to be.

__

No way! Unable to stand the thought, he began shoving people aside, yelling "excuse me's" at the top of his voice. Of course, that doesn't mean everybody will listen, right?

Crash!!!

Unable to control his velocity, the junior high detective-in-training crashed on to the unsuspecting and strangely familiar person in front of him. Slightly embarrassed but still determined to make it to school on time, Asuka Jr immediately leapt on his feet and helped the other person up. Only then did he recognize who it was.

"Haneyoka!?!" he exclaimed, his voice a mixture of shock, shame and horror.

At the same time, she yelped, "Asuka Jr.?!?" And to think she had almost forgiven him.

Asuka quickly regained control of himself. Scowling in that antagonistic manner he always uses on her, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What are you doing staring like that at open space?" he demanded. "Do you realize how much inconvenience you are causing people because of your daydreaming?"

"Daydreaming?!" Meimi shrieked back. "Look at who's daydreaming. You're probably imagining you're chasing St. Tail and still haven't caught her 'coz she's too smart for you!"

"Why you- How dare you compare me with that thief! Especially intellectually."

"If it isn't cunning and wits, how come she slips off easily?" Meimi was red, being extremely annoyed by his unintentional insult on her mental capacity.

Asuka opened his mouth to snap back but was cut off by the clanging of the bell in the distant clock tower announcing the hour of seven. Leaving Meimi fuming on the street, he grabbed his bag and took off. 

"Hey," yelled Meimi, running after him. "Wait for me!"

THE ARRIVAL OF Asuka Jr. and Haneyoka Meimi had an interesting effect of mixed reactions from the class, ranging from subtle curiosity to prying interest. Seira's face was an innocent mask of surprised concern, carefully concealing her intrigued curiosity. Some girls instantly swiveled to face their seatmates, tongues wagging behind the strategically placed notebook or text book or even hand. The others were content to sneak a quick glance at their direction and smile in amusement. Some of Asuka's friends, however, were more straightforward.

"Hey, Asuka! Did you enjoy it?" called one.

"Yeah," encouraged another. "You didn't have to do it on a school night now, did you?"

The class laughed. Some of the more conservative types blushed or frowned indignantly, fighting down the urge to the do same as the "liberals". But of course, the two butt of the joke weren't thrilled about it.

Meimi didn't just fume in silence. Taking a prank or whatever lying down just wasn't her nature. Neither was it Asuka's, who matched her stubbornness and pride in more ways than one. Especially now that both of them were still irked about their tardiness.

"Shut up, you-" yelled Asuka in rage.

"Yeah!" screamed Meimi. "You buncha perverts! You green-minded jerks! I wouldn't go near that" -points at Asuka- "thing to save my life."

Insulted, Asuka turns on her. "Oh yeah? Well I wouldn't hit on a scrawny little brat like you. I like real women."

"And I like real men, you sissy!"

"How dare you, you tom-"

"Don't you dare call me tomboy or you're a third rate tryin-hard copycat!"

"All right, that's enough!" yelled the teacher, finally able to break into their fight. "You two, to the office for being late and fighting in class."

Seira looked on as her best friend and her best friend's best enemy left the room. Still burning with humiliation, Asuka Jr. muttered unintelligible things at Meimi's direction. Meimi, by no means less embarrassed, turned to the boy detective and very coolly and meaningfully stuck her tongue out a like a little kindergartner.

"Oh my..."

"OOOOHHH! THAT BEASTLY kid makes me so mad!"

Seira sighed. Donned in her usual nun's habit, she watched as her friend paced on the chapel's courtyard, fire blazing on her path.

"Little girl?!" Meimi ranted. "How dare he! And he calls himself a mature gentleman. Che!"

"Meimi..." Seira chided softly.

Meimi mimes choking somebody. "When I get my hands on him, I'll squeeze the last breath out of him till he turns blue and we'll see which one of us is the zombie brain!"

Sweat drop. "I think that's a little too violent."

"Can you blame me?" Meimi shifts her scowl at the hapless nun-in-training. "I have a disciplinary case because of him. What will my parents say?"

Seira cleared her throat tactfully. "Um, I know you two hate each others guts and all but I did think you had the sense to know that it's not a very good idea to continue your squabble in the principal's office."

"What are you saying, Seira? That it's my fault?"

"Well, it's both your fault."

"No! It's his fault...mostly..."

"Meimeee..."

Meimi however resumed her litany, mouthing pouring forth an unimaginable number of unprintables. Seira watched her glumly, giving up the idea of pacifying the red-headed dragon. She sighed again. This will not be easy to mend...

"SPORTS KLUTZ? CLUMSY ox? Nerdy freak?!?!!"

Asuka Jr. glared at his companions. "At least, I know the difference between an alkane and an alkene," he huffed.

"Uh, Asuka..." said one of his friends uncertainly. "I don't either."

"Well that's not surprising, Yoshio 'cause you _like_ Meimi!"

"And you don't?" asked the third boy, eyebrows raised.

"I HATE HER GUTS! Isn't that obvious enough Niitsu?"

Yoshio rubbed his smarting ear. "Well..." he said cautiously. "Then why are you so worked up about what she said? If you really hate her, why worry about turning her off?"

Asuka grabbed him by his collar and forcefully shook him. "It's not only that, you moron! I got a disciplinary case because of her!"

"I expected you to be smart enough to delay your fight," remarked Niitsu. 

The other let go of Yoshio to confront Niitsu. "Oh yeah? What would you do if you're the one she's harassing?"

Niitsu grinned coolly. "That wouldn't happen. I'm the coolest, most handsome guy in Saint Paulia Gakuin and all the girls dig me."

Asuka couldn't argue with that knowing it was true. "Che."

"You know why she's saying you're a childish nerdy geek major turn off? Because you really are!"

"Why you- I'm not!" Asuka grips the other's neck, shaking him again furiously. "You hear? I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am NOT!"

"P-p-prove... i-i-iit..."

"Alright!" Asuka lets go of the choking Niitsu. 

"Next week will be the school dance or the prom or whatever. Get a dance with the homecoming queen and I'll believe you."

"That's a stupid dare." Easy. I'll bribe her with the physics homework, Asuka thought, silently laughed evilly. Surely I'm the only one who can solve that problem.

"I'm not done yet."

"What the-"

"You also have to dance with every girl in our school."

"That's- Wait! Including Haneoka!?!"

"Yep. Including Haneoka Meimi."

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Backing out, sissy?"

Asuka murderously glowered at his two expectant friends. "All right, you're on!"

"Shall we shake hands? Yoshio, you're the witness."

Asuka grips Niitsu's hand with steel pincer like strength that was normally not his own. "You have deal there, Niitsu Minoru."

"A deal then. Asuka Daiki."

"AND GOD, PLEASE help Meimi and Asuka Jr. settle their differences. It's been a week already their fight is driving everybody crazy. This we ask in Jesus's name. Amen."

Crossing herself, Seira finished her prayer. She stood up from where she knelt looking around the empty chapel. It was then she noticed the girl moping at the corner. She had been there for nearly an hour and a half.

"Um, excuse me?" said Seira gently. 

The girl turned to the nun uncertainly, revealing her round blue eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Seira. "Dear me! I'm sorry for bothering you."

The brunette shook her head. "It's ok, really."

Seira flopped down beside the girl. "You don't mind?"

She shook her head. Seira waited patiently as the girl sat in silence. She discreetly observed her, musing on the fashionable get-up the girl was wearing. She was about her age, probably a couple of years older at seventeen. Apparently, she was wearing make up or at least mascara for it had streaked across her cheeks, making her otherwise beautiful face quite unsightly.

"Let me take care of that." Seira took some tissue from her pocket and began dabbing off the black stain from her face.

"Thank you." And they sat in silence.

Later, the girl broke their wordlessness. 

"Sister?" she asked shakily.

"Eh?" answered Seira almost expectantly.

"May I talk to you?"

"Eh?"

"My name is Heike Mikako."

"Heike?" Seira looked at her, slightly surprised. "The billionaire clan Heike?"

Mikako sighed wryly. "I knew you'd recognize my name. Everybody does."

Seira, blushing a little, cleared her throat. "Um, please go on."

"Anyway, tomorrow, I'll be celebrating my eighteenth birthday. Knowing my family and all, a huge party is being prepared for the occasion.

"Both my parents died a few years ago. However, in my mother's will she left me an heirloom. They were gold brocaded slippers that had been passed on from mother to daughter for generations in her family. They say it came from the Middle East brought by foreigners time immemorial.

"Anyway, my mother's stepsister has it, claiming herself to be the true heir and refusing to relinquish the slippers. When we were finally forced to file a lawsuit, she denied having the slippers. Unless we have proof that it's with her, we can't ask the police to get it. The real problem is that I have to wear those slippers on y birthday tomorrow as my mother requested on her will. It'll be a great disrespect to her.

"I remember as a child how she always told me how much she's looking forward to seeing me in those shoes, and now it's never going to happen..."

Mikako buried her face in her hands and wept silently. Seira patted her in the back sympathetically.

"There, there," she said. "Don't lose hope. Something will turn up. You'll see."

Mikako raised her head to look at Seira. She was about to protest when she saw the seriousness on the other's eyes.

"You sound so sure," said Mikako.

"I think I am."

"SO YOU'RE GOING?" asked Ryouko.

"Um..." Meimi was still uncertain.

"You can prove how wrong that Asuka is," pointed out Kyouko temptingly.

"I guess so. "Tantalized by the idea of shoving Asuka's words back down his throat, she grinned diabolically. "Yes. I'll do it."

"Way to go!" yelled Kyouko. 

"We'll you the most attractive girl in school!" enthused Ryouko.

"Yeah!" said Meimi.

From behind, Seira came. "What was it you'll do?" she asked suspiciously. 

"I'm going to the dance and show that obnoxoious Asuka Jr. who's the outcast loner!"

"But I thought you're not going Meimi." Seira was horrified.

"Well, I changed my mind."

"I think you'll have to change it again."

MIEIMI TOOK ANOTHER look at the sole mirror in the chapel and sighed. Can she do this? Will she be able to pull it off?

Turning to Seira, she said, "What do you think? Do you think Kyouko and Ryouko over did it?"

Seira blinked as she looked her friend over from head to foot. The long figure-hugging spaghetti-strapped evening gown was nothing like any attire Meimi has ever put on. For starters, it's all too thumpingly mature, not at all the cutesy girl type she usually prefers. It was however in vogue and more acceptable to the school's resident fashion experts.

"You look great," Seira finally murmured. 

Meimi sighed and turned back to the mirror again. She barely recognized the figure blinking back at her from the mirror. She patted her hair piled on her head sleekly. Whatever way it's fixed, it still glared down from her head. It's the color, not the style, sighed Meimi. The color, as Asuka would say in his ever blunt, foot-in-the-mouth statements, was bright orange.

Meimi tossed her head coolly, nose wrinkling disfavorably_. As if I care what you think_, she thought. _I'll show him_.

"Um, Meimi?" Seira hesitantly broke into her vindictive thoughts. "Are you sure you can pull this off?"

"Eh? Of course. At quarter to twelve, I'll be here then I'm off to rescue the slippers."

"You make it sound all so easy. " Seira smiled slightly. 

"It'll be a cinch." Meimi walked off. "Trust me."

"Mmmm..."

Meimi turned back to her. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Seira shook her head. "Nun in training."

"Ok."

"Have fun."

"Yeah."

To be continued when I finish encoding……..


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: Kaitou Saint Tail is not, and never will be, my property. I am only borrowing them for a little fun. Please don't bother

suing. I'm sure that I'm practically a continent away from you.

Notes: Wow… *claps hands happily* People actually read this. ^.^ Well, thanks for reading and commenting and suggesting. Sorry I delayed uploading this for so long… Lazy me. 

Is Meimi the Homecoming Queen? You'll find out here.

Kissing Scenes? Hmmm… Thinking about it…

**Lost Slippers**

Part II

ASUKA JR. FOCUSED his agate eyes on the unoffending piece of dessert, hacking and stabbing at the tender spongy bread with callous single-mindedness. It wasn't fair. All that stupid piece of cake had to do was sit there in its sagging butt, looking edible and tasty, while _he_ had to dance with every girl present in the dance. Now was that injustice or was that injustice?

"Hey!" Niitsu Minoru suddenly cried out. A particularly empathic jab on the cake sent chocolate icing splattering all over the place. "Would you mind, Asuka? I'd like to keep my white suit white."

His friend merely grunted back. 

"Everybody finished dessert fifteen minutes ago," remarked Yoshio Tsuru. "They're all dancing now."

"If they all want to get stomachache, that's their problem," snapped Asuka.

"And you think you won't? You barely ate anything."

"His plate was empty enough," remarked Minoru absently. 

"Yeah." Tsuru glared at the boy detective. "Its contents ended up on the tablecloth and my shirt."

"Hey, man, I think I can see where we're going here now." Minoru draped a hand across Asuka's shoulder. 

"Eh?" Asuka glared back at Tsuru and also at Minoru's mysteriously smiling face.

"Our buddy's chickened out."

"Yeah…" said agreed Tsuru. "You wanna run home now, little buddy?"

"I'm not your little buddy," snarled Asuka. "The bet's still on!"

"Good. Now, there's the first girl you gotta dance with."

"Wha?! Nan da yo?"

"Right, Wanda," said Minoru coolly. "You are going to ask her to dance before the soccer team asks her. You'll never be able to squeeze through later."

Asuka looked at the girl dismally. She was older than him, at least a head taller, blonde, curvaceous, buxom, all woman at sweet sixteen… And probably didn't even know he existed.

"Can't you choose easy pickings?" he finally said in a small voice. "I mean… I don't know their Chemistry that much."

"Chemistry?" said Tsuru. "She's perfect."

"Yeah," said Minoru. "PPP."

"PPP?" repeated Asuka. "Point-to-Point Protocol?"

"PPP. Pretty, popular and pea-brained!" He slapped Asuka's back and gave Tsuru a high-five, laughing gleefully.

Asuka gave them a sickened look. "You guys are insufferable." 

"What?" said Tsuru innocently. "We can save you the trouble and tell Haneyoka that everything she said about you is true."

"No need for that." He sniffed disdainfully. "And I called you friends..."

Nonetheless, he straightened up, steeled himself and walked towards the girl Wanda.

"Wait!" called Minoru, catching up with him. "Here. You'll need these." 

Puzzled, Asuka peered down at the package his friend thrust to him. The were fancy business cards with his name on it. Daiki Asuka Jr, it says, professional academic assistant. Will do home works, projects, and tutors all subjects, except Physical Education. Fee: 1 dance tonight.

"AN AD?!!!" Asuka exploded. He practically threw the cards at Minoru. "Niitsu you are dead. DEAD."

"Whoa!" said Minoru. "It'll make it easier for you. Would you rather go around announcing it to everyone? Come on, man. We're just trying to help. After all, we _are_ friends."

"Whatever! You'll pay for this after all this is over. I'll be several hundred bucks richer than you."

"Sure, Asuka." He chuckled. "I'll be too happy to pay you. After all, that's entertainment: expensive."

Asuka merely shook in a minor apoplexy as he slinked away. "This is your fault, Haneyoka!" he muttered through gritted teeth.

Still, he girded his loins and approached the older girl. However, a few paces from the girl, he lost his nerve and froze on his tracks. He stood there, seemingly a stone outside, but raving in rage and embarrassment inside.

Suddenly, the girl turned to him, an irritated expression painted on her face.

"Well?" she demanded impatiently.

Asuka stuttred, "A-ano…"

"Are you gonna ask me to dance or not?"

"Aah.. yeah…" He blinked in disbelief but nonetheless managed to get his leaden feet moving. In spite of himself, he took one of Minoru's business cards and handed it to her.

"Oh, I'll look at that later," the girl said brusquely, flipping the piece of paper on the table. She stood up and allowed Asuka to lead her to the dance floor. "Can you imagine that?"

"Eh?"

She was disgustedly looking at something over his shoulder. "Look at those idiot stumbling all over that red-head girl. And they left _me_ by myself. Hmph. They'll pay for this humiliation, you'll see. At least, you're smart enough to take advantage of the situation… Tell me, do you think that girl is more attractive than I am?"

Asuka really couldn't spot which girl his dance partner was referring to so he just nodded.

"Of course, you'd say that. Secret admirers…" Her laughter pealed at a too high a frequency. "I don't know your name, boy, and I don't remember seeing you ever around school. Anyway, even if you're not popular or sporty you look pretty handsome. _And_ you don't step on my feet while dancing. I think my girlfriends would like a dance with you."

"Er… T-that's great…. Thanks… I guess."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

UNLIKE MOST EVENINGS, the school gym wasn't dark and quiet. Indeed, its present state was a far cry from the usual what with the loud music and eager chatter of talking ( or yelling!) of friends. At nine in the evening, the party fever was rapidly heightening.

Asuka Jr. grinned to himself in satisfaction. The party has only started three hours ago, the eating lasting for only an hour or so and the dancing officially starting an hour later. Even so, he had already danced with every girl in school and even some of the outsiders present. He had won the bet. After all, they didn't specify how long each dance was supposed to be.

He glanced at his watch. Good. Maybe he could go home early now that the dare had been settled. His ears were starting to ring from the loud music and he had some chores to do at home. Parties were just not his type of thing.

"Hey, Niitsu," he called to his friend. "I'm done. I've danced with every girl in school."

"What about Haneoka?" asked Yoshio Tsuru.

"Obviously, she isn't here."

"Lucky bastard," muttered Niitsu Minoru. "And obviously being the nerd that you are had its uses."

"Hey! I didn't bribe a single girl to do her physics homework. Or chem. Or math."

"They all danced with you willingly?!" squeaked Yoshio. 

"Why not?"

"Everybody's nice to the outcasts tonight," remarked Niitsu, a wee bit jealous of the attention the females were showering at Asuka. "It must be the water."

"No, just my look goods." Asuka grinned triumphantly. "And now, if you don't mind, I'm going home."

Niitsu stopped him with at tug at his coat tails. "It's not over yet," he said.

"Whaddaya mean!?!"

"You haven't dance with the Prom Queen."

"Prom Queen? You mean the Lady of the Night? The Homecoming Queen?"

"Whatever."

"What the heck? I have danced with everyone anyway. One of them's bound to be the winner."

Yoshio shook his head. "Uh-uh."

"Are outsiders included in the judging?" asked Niitsu.

"I think so."

"What are you talking about?" Asuka demanded, getting a little impatient. "Well?"

"You haven't danced with her yet." Yoshio gestured to the girl sitting quietly in the corner, apparently resting from the series of dances she has been offered. "You never got the chance, slowpoke."

Whoa! Asuka drew in his breath sharply. That girl he hadn't even seen yet. And boy did he nearly miss something big time. The petite slim figure in the blue dress was very attractive alright. Her round expressive eyes shone, reflecting the disco lights. Her red blond hair contrasted sharply against the dim environment, making her even more stunning.

Chagrined, Asuka turned away. "I-... She isn't our classmate, - I mean school mate."

"That's true," said Niitsu. A smile has crept on his face after he noticed his friend's blush. "But they say she's going to be the Lady of the Night."

"She's an outsider," Asuka growled self-consciously. 

"We're not really sure about that," pointed out Yoshio.

"We'll have to wait and see," agreed Minoru, eyes twinkling. He broke into breathless laughter as Asuka Jr. groaned. _Boy, is this fun or what!_

~~~~~~~~~

MEIMI BLINKED IN confusion. What was that? Did she just hear her name? That's impossible, she quickly dismissed. It must be the punch. Maybe somebody sabotaged it and poisoned it with liquor. Bad idea.

The next thing she knew, however, she was already being dragged to the stage, people applauding and congratulating her avidly from all sides. Before she could figure out the situation, however, her schoolmates had already dumped her on the stage. Looking up in a daze, she was distracted by the most unpleasant unanticipated sight.

"Asuka Jr.!"

"Haneoka!"

"You're the Guy of the Night?!"

At the same time, Asuka also sputtered, "You're the Lady of the Night?!"

To label the expression on their faces as shock and disbelief would be an understatement. Perhaps, more than one of them was regretting he/she had come. They gazed at each other stonily for a long time.

"Hey, Asuka!" broke in Niitsu's voice. "Are you chicken!?"

That woke Asuka up. "I'm not!"

Ignoring the hoots and catcalls all around them, Asuka offered his hand to his companion, face contorted into a frown.

"May I have this dance?" he said crisply.

"As you wish," answered Meimi icily.

They danced away to a waltz in silence, oblivious to the stares of the other students. Soon enough, the others lost interest and resumed their previous business.

"Um..." Asuka said, attempting to be at least civil with this. "You look- look" he was cut off by a cough. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "You look... different."

Meimi finally looked at him uneasily. "I... You're not so bad yourself, Asuka Jr."

Silenced ruled again as none could think of anything else to say.

"I heard you danced with everybody, Asuka."

"Ah..." he reddened a bit. "It's just Niitsu's stupid dare"

"How 'd you do it?" Meimi peered at him curiously. "How much homework are you gonna be doing till the end of the school year?"

"Hey!" Asuka glared at her indignantly hot-faced. "They accepted freely! See, you're wrong. I'm no nerdy geek major turn off."

"Obviously you're wrong, too," snapped Meimi curtly. "I'm not the little prissy girl you accuse me of being."

Asuka's frown deepened as he turned his face away from her. "So we're both wrong, apparently," he muttered. "As if I care."

"Well, I don't care either," huffed Meimi.

"Hmph."

~~~~~~~~~~~

MEIMI SNEAKED A look on her watch. 11:40. She had to get out of there. For her, being the Lady of the Night was more of a burden than an honor. It was all restrictions. She had been doomed to stay with Asuka Jr the whole night. Of course, it wasn't that bad. But Meimi wasn't about to admit that to anybody at all.

Speaking of which, why on earth was Asuka still there? In fact, she expected him not to come at all what with the challenge she had sent him and all. Well, she did put it here in the party grounds but he should have stumbled upon it by now.

Meimi shook her head resignedly. Promise or no promise, this time she'll have to complete her mission without the boy detective in her heels. He didn't find the note. It's his loss, not Saint Tail's.

Before she could slither away, Asuka Jr turned to her.

"They say we have to dance to this tune," he said in annoyance. "Whether we like it or not."

"But I have to go!" Meimi protested in agitation.

"Complain to them," Asuka Jr muttered, equally displeased.

In the end, they we're coaxed to the dance floor by the hosts of the night's event. They managed, however, to pick a less um... public place, choosing a corner with less people around to watch or tease them.

At the first whine of the violin, Meimi knew immediately it was not a good idea.

"Um..." She gulped. "The tempo's a little too slow in this one."

"Tell me about it," muttered Asuka jr, trying not to look at his beautiful companion.

_Darn_, thought Meimi. Something must be really wrong with the punch. Asuka Jr was starting to look... cute, red and all with embarrassment.

She caught sight of the clock on the gym wall. Almost 11:45. She had to arrive at the mansion by midnight. Cripes!

She smiled in spite of herself. What is this Cinderella? She's trying to get away before the clock strikes twelve but her Prince Charming was keeping her. She racked her head in panic. What the heck was she thinking?!?! Comparing Asuka Jr with Prince Charming?! Meimi reddened at the thought.

"Eh? What's wrong with you?" inquired Asuka. "It's not as if I'm crowding you or anything. And it's pretty chilly." Yep, he was indeed too far. Much to his own horror, he started to wish they were as close as the others.

I wonder how she smells like...

Absentmindedly, he pressed nearer, sniffing discreetly. She smelled nice. She smelled of some mild girly sweet fragrance, the type of perfume school girls typically wear.

Presently, he returned to himself. Blinking as his green eyes focused, he came face to face with the girl he had always claimed to loathe, and was overwhelmed with what he saw.

There they were, her eyes, peering back at him curiously, almost... wistfully. The deep blue was the fathomless ocean. His consciousness flailed as he struggled to stop himself from drowning in those orbs.

_Darn! He yelled inwardly. __What's happening to me?!_

Time stopped. Only the vague swirling of the room remained. Was it indeed the room in motion? Or was it them? Meimi couldn't tell. All she could see was the dark green eyes that stared back into her own. Like a forest, so serene, so wonderful, so unknown. And they slowly slid closer and closer…

Ding dong! Ding dong!

Meimi snapped out of her confused stupor instantly

"Oh my goodness!" she said. "It's midnight."

Before Asuka could say anything, Meimi disappeared into the throng of people still dancing despite the lateness of the hour. They were all determined not to let slip this opportunity of seldom-experienced freedom bypass them.

Asuka shrugged coolly. He didn't deny that he was downright perplexed. He was not saying he wasn't disturbed by what happened, or that it was at all unpleasant. It was definitely uncomfortable but there's no way at all he'd let Minoru, Tsuru or`` anybody else know. Instead, he strolled to the punch table and picked out a plastic cup.

Firstly of course, he ladled punch into his cup. Drinking the supposedly non-alcoholic drink straight-down, he was startled by what was slowly revealed as the punch volume receded. There appeared to be some sort of writing at the bottom of his cup.

At midnight tonight, the brocaded slippers of the Heike family currently in possession of Yuki Sakura will be mine.

Spraying punch all over everybody in his general vicinity, Asuka gave out a surprised battlecry and bolted out of the gym, steamrolling _everyone_ on his way.

"SAINT TAIL!!!"


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimer: Kaitou Saint Tail is not, and never will be, my property. I am only borrowing them for a little fun. Please don't bother suing. I'm sure that I'm practically a continent away from you.

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Lost Slippers

Part III

SAINT TAIL STEALTHILY groped her way out the maze of halls in Yuki Sakura's mansion. She couldn't figure out why a woman that rich would withhold a family heirloom from a harmless teenager. At least she got the slippers. As she predicted, the whole operation was a cinch.

Reaching the yard, Saint Tail was about to leap off into the darkness. She froze however when she saw a menacing pair of red eyes glaring at her.

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Dogs! Meimi's brain screamed. Her reflexes instantly caused her to race off into the vast grassland that was the estate's lawn.

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How clumsy can I get! she raged inwardly. 

So the punch really was spiked. It was probably only subtle amounts but she did drink several glasses of punch and in the first place, she was never a drinker. Her speed was definitely affected. 

Time for magic! She clutched at her side, opting for desperate measures for a desperate situation.

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What?-

Her wand! Her wand was missing! But where?

At Seira's! In her hurry, she left her whole arsenal of weapon at the chapel. What's she gonna do now?

Well, she better decide soon or she'll be dead meat. Or rather, _dogmeat_.

ASUKA RACED TO the mansion. He knew exactly where the mansion was. See, he made it a point to read all the police files lying around his father's room. He paid extra attention to the file concerning the brocaded slippers because that was the one he accidentally spilled detergent on. Some of the beginner detectives were on stakeout on the mansion anyway. The idea of hiding in a hole somewhere spying on somebody somehow appealed to him.

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So the Heike girl is right, he thought. _Her aunt does have the slippers_!

But now somebody else wanted those slippers. And he's determined to catch the culprit. 

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Saint Tail!

SAINT TAIL WATCHED warily as the dogs surrounded her from every corner, barring all paths of escape. Pressed against the towering walls, she waited with dread for the inhabitants to be roused by the brutes' summons. Then the police would come and that idiot Asuka JR would capture her!

Maybe not. The dogs weren't at all happy about giving up their little playmate to their masters. After all, they did all the work. Slobbering with anticipation, the animals steadily approached her, getting ready to pounce. At that point, Meimi snapped and closed her eyes to shut out the gleaming fangs. She screamed as the dogs attacked, but managed to muffle her voice with her hands.

She opened her eyes a little later realizing that there weren't any chunks of her flesh hanging loose whatsoever. Instead, she heard somebody's breathing in her ear, and the warmth of another body pressed near, rising and falling.

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Asuka Jr!?

How did he- Meimi looked around frantically. The scanty moonlight revealed little but she managed to see a trapdoor, beyond which she could hear the dogs barking and people calling out. Of course! The police had that place under surveillance. Asuka probably knew about this case before.

Speaking of Asuka, he was still gasping for breath. He was probably feeling the effects of the liquor, too. _The prankster would really get it!_ vowed Saint Tail.

Meimi could see the tiny pores on his face, rather reddish tonight, even under the alabaster moon. She gasped. They were _that_ close and he'll be able to recognize her!

"Saint Tail…" slurred the boy detective. "You thought you could get away again, ne? I thought you could fool me with your late notification. Oh no, siree! Detective Asuka here always does his homework."

Saint Tail tried her best not to retort and silently wriggled out of his grasp.

But those green eyes - yes, moonlight reflected in them as does it on a cat's- blinked curiously. He tightened his hold on her shoulder.

"I say," he said. "Is that you Haneoka? Sorry, I thought you were home already." Then he shook his head, and her, too. "No. You're not Meimi. Sorry got confused. Not my fault though. I had to spend the whole evening with that ditzy dame."

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Ditzy dame?!! Meimi was fuming but Asuka didn't notice at all.

"Oh, right. You're Saint Tail. See those jerks at school thought they could torture me but really it wasn't such torture. See, you know, they tried to hook me up with this girl 'coz they thought I hate her. But not really, see? I kinda, sorta like her. She's pretty and spirited and very nice… I like her. I really, really do."

Even under the influence of alcohol, Meimi managed to get the gist of the boy detective's incoherent confession. And even though her mind was getting more and more nebulous by the minute, she forced herself to remain frozen. As for the speechlessness part, there wasn't much she could do about it.

"As I was saying," said Asuka Jr. "You thought you could escape me, didn't you? You thought you could ditch me with that late note. Ha ha ha. Lookie here, I got you!" He blinked again. "Oh, right. I already told you that. Sorry I keep repeating myself. I'm kinda sorta drunk…. Hey! I betcha you're the one who spiked the punch!" Blink, blink. "No. You can't be stupid enough to drink from the punch to ne? You are lookin' kinda red. You know what Saint Tail? You kinda pretty too."

Meimi couldn't help it. She was really blushing now. She avoided his eyes and stared instead at his lips. Which was rather a bad idea.

"Ah! You really are drunk too!" Asuka cackled. "I can't really imagine you drunk, you know? But then again you _are_ a thief and you're kinda suppose to drink-"

Saint Tail was barely listening. She seemed to have trouble understanding his words because her mind seemed to flit from thought to thought. But she was mesmerized by his moving mouth. Yes, and that light cologne that seemed to linger in her nose, that fragrance that seemed to linger just a tiny but exquisite hint of mature masculinity.

"Yeah, I think you're kinda supposed to drink." Asuka continued his monologue. "All those robbers in the books I've read all drink. You can't not drink, see? Even if you're a girl, a non-drinking thief isn't normal, right?"

Now, that has got to stop. Meimi was slightly irritated by his endless jabbering. She was trying to follow the shifting shape of his lips but the racket was making her lose her concentration! Now, if only her hands were free…

"See there's these books I've read and there's this very talented thief in it. He's a spy of sorts too but you're just a thief right? But he's a spy too and he gets drunk every night. Then he gets sick every morning and he drinks again just to make himself feel better. He's name is Silk but he's actually a Prince Kheldar of a kingdom named Drasnia. But of course there really isn't any Drasnia but then it's just a-"

A stunned silence.

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It worked! Meimi exulted. She succeeded in effectively shutting his mouth. With her mouth of course. It was his fault anyway… But then… _There's something wrong here_…

She had her eyes closed so she wasn't able to see Asuka's saucer-wide eyes.

That girl! Saint Tail was kissing him!?!! But-

Shocked, his hold on her loosened and he fell on his back panting.

Meimi blinked in surprise. What the heck was that she just did? 

Never mind. At least she was free.

Taking advantage of her opponent's slack, Saint Tail slipped out of his clutches and disappeared into the night. She didn't really like leaving him there panting himself to death. However, she couldn't risk being recognized, especially after that weird thing that happened at the prom. And so she left.

Asuka was too dizzy to even attempt to catch up with the thief. Oh well, everybody has his or her downs. He rested against the wall in the dark trying to calm his breathing and gulping air to fill his lungs. 

In his solitude, he relived the sensation of holding the mysterious robber close to him. She smelled of the perfume girls his age usually wear. Or was it Haneoka he's thinking about? Yes, Haneoka. She's got blue eyes, right? Very beautiful blue eyes. They seem t blaze like blue fire, the hottest of all kinds of fire. But that really was impossible right? Saint Tail? Haneoka Meimi? Who's who?

No longer able to tell which memory was which, Asuka gave it up with a shrug. Pushing himself to his feet, he began trudging home.

Sooner or later those slippers will turn up somewhere. And most likely it would be with its rightful owner. He on the other hand would be trying his best to get his dizzy butt back home. It was way past his bedtime.

HANEOKA MEIMI WOKE up with a start. 

What the heck kind of a dream was that?!!?!!

Asuka Jr was holding her and…. and she was kissing him!

She shuddered and shook her head. Then she groaned in pain.

Kami-sama! Her head was killing her.

Darn those jerks that spiked the punch! They're giving her perverted nightmares. And on top of everything, a freaking headache!

Wait. She had to dance all night with Asuka. It was possible that-

No! No! NO!

In the first place, she left him at the school dance. Then, she went to steal the slippers and delivered it to the owner. She couldn't have been with that insufferable boy.

Now what on earth was that noise?

She searched around for the source of that ringing that was like a drill boring into her brain. There was something about that sound that made a click in her mind but her head was hurting too much that her brain didn't notice. Finally she finally found it.

It was her alarm clock ringing and it looks as if its been doing that for almost an hour now…

ASUKA JR RAN out the house, leaving behind a blazing trail.

He can't be late again. He can't! Darn it. Those jerks are really gonna pay…

He couldn't remember anything about last night. There was just some vague memory of his father scolding him about being late and a girl kissing him and-

NANI!? A girl? Kissing?!

WHAM!

Something hit him from behind and he was flung to the pavement. 

"Haneoka!"

"Asuka Jr!"

"You again!" they screeched in unison.

"Why you-!" growled Asuka indignantly.

"Oh, shut up," Meimi cut him off. "We're late."

When they arrived at school, they found it deserted. That was definitely a bad sign. But when they entered the classroom…

"Haneoka, Asuka," said the teacher. "Where are you're classmates? Why are you late?"

The two of them gawked at their teacher and the empty classroom. Soon after, a bleary-eyed group of students filed in.

"Why are you all late?" demanded the teacher.

"We really couldn't help it, ma'am," replied a student. "Somebody spiked the punch last night. Repeatedly."

"Oh? I suppose since all of you are late…."

"We didn't even suspect," said one guy. "Yoshio drank so much last night. He'll probably not come today."

"Oh, look, Haneoka came in earliest," remarked Kyouko.

"And Asuka Jr too," added Ryouko.

"Oh," said Niitsu with a lecherous grin. "Did you guys spend the night in school? Together?"

"Excuse me?!" exploded Meimi. "Why would I do such a disgusting thing?"

"Korosu!!!!" yelled Asuka Jr. "I wouldn't dream of getting near that _thing_ within a mile radius!"

"Oh yeah?" Meimi's voice jumped an octave. "You stepped on my toes several times last night! Your legs can't be that long."

"Are you hinting something?"

"No, I'm insulting you!"

"All right, both of you in the principal's office right now!"

Tsk, tsk. Oh well. And like every fairy tale, I suppose this one also ends with- 

And they lived happily ever after.

Finished Writing: Wed 16:42:56 021401

Finished Encoding/Editing: 02:00:05 080402

Disappointed? Hated it? All Comments, Complaints, etc, welcome. ^.^ Thanks for reading and for keeping up with my procrastination. He he… ^^V thanks for the comments too. They prod me to work. 

Additional Disclaimers: Um, the Silk person Asuka was ranting about is a character in the book series _Belgariad_ by David Eddings. Not mine, definitely. Just borrowed it for lack of anything to write about.


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